OK.
In the past, Ji Yuning always signed them herself.
The reason I brought it to Fang Bai this time...
Seeing that Fang Bai was about to finish writing his name, Ji Yuning's eyes flickered with emotion, but her breathing remained steady: "You're going on a blind date?"
The last character was written just as he finished.
Fang Bai capped the pen and handed it to Ji Yuning along with the paper. "Did you hear that?"
"Um."
"Liao Li was just kidding," Fang Bai said, crossing her legs and letting her nightgown slip down, revealing glimpses of what lay beneath. "I haven't thought about it yet."
Not yet.
There will be more later.
Even Ji Yuning herself didn't realize that she was nitpicking over the words and calculating something.
Fang Bai thought Ji Yuning would leave after signing the document, and planned to dry his hair after she left. But after waiting for a while, she stood still and showed no intention of leaving.
"?" Fang Bai looked up at Ji Yuning.
Perhaps the question in Fang Bai's eyes was too obvious, because after a few seconds of eye contact with Fang Bai, Ji Yuning touched her pink lips together and asked, "What type do you like?"
Fang Bai paused for a moment and asked, "Did Liao Li ask that?"
Ji Yuning paused noticeably for a moment, then said, "...Yes."
Fang Bai understood immediately. This was clearly not a question Ji Yuning would ask. After all, why would Ji Yuning care about her favorite type?
Fang Bai thought Liao Li was just saying it casually, but he didn't expect her to actually ask Ji Yuning to ask her.
She's busy enough with Ji Yuning, where would she find the time to date?
After thinking it over, Fang Bai put down his crossed legs, shifted his position, and sat facing Ji Yuning.
From Ji Yuning's perspective, from her elevated position, Fang Bai only needed to lean down slightly to reveal the secret place hidden by the nightgown.
Ji Yuning frowned slightly. She saw the water droplets hanging from the ends of Fang Bai's hair, which dripped onto the back of Fang Bai's silk nightgown, staining a large area.
Ji Yuning asked coldly, "Where's the hair dryer?"
Fang Bai was taken aback by the sudden question. After a moment, he said, "It's in the drawer. Do you need it?"
As Fang Bai asked, he bent down, opened a drawer, took out a hairdryer, and held it up in the direction Ji Yuning was standing. "Is the one in your room broken?"
The item being held remained untouched for a long time. Fang Bai closed the drawer and looked up, only to find Ji Yuning looking to the other side.
What are you looking at?
Fang Bai followed the path he had forgotten, but saw nothing. When Fang Bai looked away, he found Ji Yuning still staring at the same spot.
Fang Bai asked softly, "Xiao Ning?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Ji Yuning saw that Fang Bai had already sat up straight. Ignoring her burning ears, she turned her head and said, "Mm."
"Here you go." Fang Bai handed the hair dryer to Ji Yuning again.
“I don’t need it,” Ji Yuning said, her fingers twitching, but she didn’t point to Fang Bai’s chest. She simply said, “Your clothes are wet.”
Fang Bai lowered his eyes, and a few dark patches on his clothes caught his eye.
Fortunately, she didn't plan to wear this to bed; she only wore it after showering for convenience.
Fang Bai placed the hairdryer on the table, picked up a towel and slowly wrapped it around the ends of his hair, saying, "It's alright, I'll dry my hair after I finish talking to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Bai caught a glimpse of an arm in his peripheral vision, which picked up the hair dryer on the table.
Fang Bai looked up and saw Ji Yuning plug in the power cord and hold the device up in front of her.
After a pause, Fang Bai took it.
Seven minutes later, Fang Bai dried his hair, and the stain on his clothes disappeared.
As soon as Fang Bai put down the hair dryer, Ji Yuning said, "Auntie, you can continue talking now."
“…”
Liao Li really found the right person; she's so dedicated.
Fang Bai cleared his throat and slowly said, "I don't have any requirements for my other half."
Ji Yuning's eyelids fluttered, but before she could react, she saw Fang Bai counting on his fingers:
"But he has to be taller than me, have a good figure, and be good-looking—the kind of face that makes you feel better just by looking at someone you're angry with. He shouldn't smoke, drink excessively, or go to bars. He also needs to be more educated than me, richer than me, and willing to spend money on me. He should have a good personality and be tolerant of me. Ideally, he should be able to travel the world with me. Most importantly, his parents should be open-minded and not mind—"
Fang Bai paused, loosened his bent hand, and said lazily, "Just tell Liao Li like that."
The kind of people she was talking about seemed plentiful, but if you looked closely, you wouldn't find many. Fang Bai didn't believe that Liao Li would still insist on introducing her to people like that, or even say that she could. Moreover, there was something she didn't mention.
Ji Yuning's hand gripping the paper stiffened, her face remaining calm and composed. Finally, she gave a soft "hmm".
Fang Bai smiled faintly and tilted his head slightly: "Have you remembered them all?"
Ji Yuning remained silent.
The phone on the bed rang, and Fang Bai got up from the chair and walked to the bed.
Ji Yuning stared at Fang Bai's retreating figure, her eyes revealing an unreadable emotion, but the crumpled piece of paper in her hand betrayed her thoughts.
She can accomplish all of these things; it's just a matter of time. But there's one thing she can't achieve, and she never will.
Liao Li said the blind date she was going to introduce was a man.
Fang Bai checked his phone, grabbed a shirt from the sofa and put it on, then walked up to Ji Yuning and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Ji Yuning composed herself and looked at Fang Bai with her eyelids fluttering open.
"I'm a little hungry," Fang Bai said with a smile as he walked past Ji Yuning. "Come downstairs with me and we'll cook a late-night snack."
Ji Yuning sat in the dining chair, with the paper and pen beside her.
She gazed quietly toward the kitchen, standing in front of the counter wearing an apron, but underneath the apron was a silk nightgown.
Despite her unusual attire, she was impossible to look away from.
The only loose-fitting part of the nightgown was the apron, which tightened it around the waist, turning the skirt, which barely covered the thighs, into a bodycon skirt. The bow tied at the waist hung down on the tailbone, swaying slightly with Fang Bai's every move.
Ji Yuning quickly lowered her eyes. She remembered that upstairs, although she turned her head quickly, she still accidentally saw the scene because she was not paying attention.
Fang Bai turned around and saw that Ji Yuning's cheeks were slightly flushed, but she still had that indifferent expression, with the corners of her mouth pursed into a straight line.
The water would take a while to boil, so Fang Bai walked to the dining table and sat down. With nothing else to do, she asked, "Is it hot?"
The indoor temperature was high, but not high enough to make one's face feel hot.
“You,” Ji Yuning asked coldly, “why didn’t you change your clothes?”
Fang Bai didn't hesitate: "Lazy."
At 11 p.m., who would change clothes to make a midnight snack? There's no one else at home, so there's even less need to.
Ji Yuning pursed her lips: "".
She didn't know why she asked the question, but when Fang Bai asked if it was hot, she subconsciously thought of Fang Bai standing in front of the kitchen.
Fang Bai thought Ji Yuning was having a cleanliness lapse, thinking that the pajamas would get greasy. She coughed and explained, "I'll change into new pajamas when I go to sleep."
After saying that, Fang Bai suddenly realized why she had to explain because Ji Yuning had mysophobia.
Fang Bai glanced at Ji Yuning's long-sleeved clothes and asked, "Why haven't you changed into your pajamas yet? Have you been studying all this time?"
No, for the two hours before knocking on Fang Bai's door, Ji Yuning sat at the table holding that piece of paper, without learning anything.
But Ji Yuning wouldn't say anything about it, so she nodded silently.
"It's so tiring," Fang Bai murmured.
"Can your neck and shoulders handle all this studying?" Fang Bai's gaze lingered on Ji Yuning's shoulders. "Would you like a massage?"
Ji Yuning's hand on the table twitched. She turned her head to look at Fang Bai, her voice devoid of emotion, "You know how?"
Fang Bai shook his head: "I don't know how, but I can ask a masseur to come to my house tomorrow."
So she was referring to massage services.
Ji Yuning put her hand under the table. "No need."
Fang Bai said "Oh," and was about to get up and go back to the kitchen when she suddenly remembered that Ji Yuning had asked if she knew how. So she looked directly at Ji Yuning and asked, "What if I do know how?"
“Yes,” Ji Yuning paused, “it’s not necessary.”
“…”
Then what are you asking?
Fang Bai licked his lips and stood up: "I'll go cook."
Two seconds later, Ji Yuning stood up as well, "I'll help—"
Before she could even say "you," Fang Bai grabbed Ji Yuning's shoulder and said, "Sit down and wait for me."
Even through the layer of clothing, Ji Yuning could still feel the warmth of Fang Bai's palm.
It burned in her heart, stirring up a wave of emotion.
Ji Yuning sat in a chair, watching the busy figure in front of the kitchen counter. In addition to cooking, the other person was also constantly looking at their phone.
It's not about chatting with people or looking at recipes; it's about checking the time.
My heart skipped a beat.
Ji Yuning placed her phone next to the paper; the lit screen displayed the time.
[November 20, 23:59]
As Ji Yuning had guessed, a bowl appeared in front of her precisely when the clock struck four zeros.
A bowl of thin noodles is served in a bowl, with drops of sesame oil floating on the surface of the soup. A few tiny green scallion rings float in the clear broth, and you can vaguely see a poached egg lying on the side of the bowl.
Fang Bai placed the chopsticks on the bowl, and as Ji Yuning looked up at her, he said softly, "Xiao Ning, happy birthday."
When Fang Bai checked her phone messages, she noticed it was 11:40, and she immediately thought of this incident.